The insta-dri's are Sally Hansen's quick-dry formula polishes, they promise "one coat, one stroke, for quick and easy application." First off, the brush, it's flat and wide... I like the brush, I'll give them that, but the brush can be hard to work with, and my main problem is, the brush picks up A LOT of product and yes, you can get one coat out of this one glob, but it's a big glob and it can flood the sides of your nails and your cuticles very easily, so I find that I have to really clean off the brush before I use it. Also, some of these, including Mint Sprint really stained my nails and you can see the remnants of this polish on my swatches below, Mint Sprint was the first that I tried before I was familiar with the consistency of these. This formula is thick too and can be hard to remove, I guess that's what you get for quick dry.
I had a really hard time finding the colour names for these polishes, I even asked the sales girl about it, Presto Pink had the name visible on the side label, but the rest nothing. The sales girl was clueless. Anyway, after reading up on MUA, I found that the label has 3 layers to it, and if you flip through to the last layer, there is a name there!! I don't know why they are hiding the names of these polishes. I like knowing the names because if I find a swatch online that I like, I go to the store and find it right away, I definitely don't want to flip through layers of a label to find which one it is. Silly Sally.
Also, Sally recommends using their top coat for these polishes, I don't have that, but my China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat on top of some of these made them change colour, which I hate. This topcoat does not normally do this. Specifically, this happened with Mint Sprint, it became lighter with top coat over it. So I would recommend not using a topcoat with these, they dry fast and they do come out looking pretty shiny.
I find these hard to shake up too, I swear some of the bottles do not have balls in them, which is a problem if you keep these around for a long time. The polish on the Snappy Sorbet specifically is separating and I can't really do much about it. I shake it and nothing happens.
The colour selection is great, I don't know what collections these particular polishes came from as they were just all over in the display wall. I like that a lot of them are cremes cause that is my preferred type. If you are in a rush, these are good polishes, I just don't see myself choosing these over my beloved OPI or China Glaze polishes. Actually, now that I look, apparently there was a collection for spring /summer 2010: Speedy Sunburst, Lively Lilac, Likety-Split Lime, Grape Going, Mint Spring, Instant Iris, Snappy Sorbet and Brisk Blue, so I did get some of the new colours. Onto the swatches...
Presto Pink - A pretty creme pink, one coat. Great for summer, really cute on the nail. Did not experience any staining with this one.
Snappy Sorbet - Orangey, coral creme with sheen, two coats. This one was hard to photograph, it is not bright, more of a pastel almost. The sheen does not really show up on the nail in real life. If you can tell on the left of the picture, the orangey tint is kind of separating the bottle and I can try shaking it all I can and nothing happens. I thought I would love this colour, judging by the bottle, but on the nail, it's not really impressing me.
Speedy Sunburst - This one is a bright, red with fuschia undertones. Very smooth application, one coat, great colour.
Brisk Blue - A bright, vibrant sky blue. I love this one, it's my favourite from all the ones I got. This is one coat as well. This one is very similar to a colour from the regular Sally Hansen Xtreme wear line, "Blue Me Away."
Mint Sprint - Doesn't look mint to me at all, more of a teal green. I really liked this one, took one coat too. But, it left my nails quite stained.
Uptempo Plum - This is a dark purple with purple and red shimmers. It doesn't really show on the nail, but in bright camera flash, you can see it quite well here. It resembles OPI Merry Midnight in the effect. This is two coats, a good fall/winter colour.
Did have any of these? what do you think of the brush and formulation?
I like the Uptempo Plum, looks nice. I find that the one I have (Lively Lilac) doesn't shake well in the bottle either! I love the color though, very opaque.
ReplyDelete@Jane - ya some shake fine but others, it's like they are too full or something.
ReplyDeleteThe colors are nice. I've never been a fan of SH. :( Nothing against her, lol, just don't care for the quality or the color selection given the price in the drug store. I can find so much better with China Glaze or Orly and the price is comparable or less depending on where I buy the products. Her prices (at most drugstores in the States) are comparable with OPI depending on the line (like her holos or high end polishes).
ReplyDeleteI love them all :) You should try Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat. The end result is amazing.
ReplyDeletehttp://nurisrandom.blogspot.com/
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I agree with you on all your comments of them although the bottles here have the color name and number on a sticker on the top of the bottle cap. I find the cremes are great for stamping and nail art due to their high opacity and thickness. I use their clear color for a top coat and I do get staining from the dark colors unless I wear a base coat. They dry relatively quickly so when I just want a quick color change, on it goes. Despite it not being perfect, I somehow end up using these frequently, especially when I'm busy. And I admit to having around 24 of them, sigh, they're not fancy but they're great for everyday color changes and when I take the time, they're great for nail art.
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